This article was written for CityChangers.org by Mahak Agrawal, Steering Board Member of ITACUS and Founder of All Bits Count (ABC). In it, she argues that the most effective sustainability discourse for sparking behaviour change integrates fact, storytelling, and humour. For added impact this can be mixed with design that makes the right actions intuitive.
Picture this: you step into a city that breathes sustainability. Streets are lined with edible gardens, buildings generate their own energy, and mobility is seamless and green. It is not a utopian dream—it is a reality built by small, intentional choices. But how do we get there?
Sustainability is often framed as an overwhelming challenge—technical, expensive, and out of reach for the everyday person. But what if we flipped the narrative? What if sustainability was not just about big policies and corporate commitments but also about small, smart, and meaningful actions that benefit both the planet and our pockets?
That is the philosophy behind All Bits Count (ABC), an initiative and creative consultancy that blends art, science, technology, and humour to debunk myths, simplify sustainability, and make climate action accessible to all.
Why Sustainability Needs to be More Approachable
The design and management of our cities play a fundamental role in sustainability.
From how we build homes to how we move, eat, and interact with public spaces, urban design dictates much of our carbon footprint. Yet, sustainability in city planning is often presented in grand master plans or futuristic smart-city concepts, sidelining the role of everyday people in shaping a greener urban landscape.
Urban sustainability isn’t just about infrastructure; it’s also about the culture of a place, the behaviour of its residents, and the engagement of its communities.
That brings us to the next problem: bridging these multiple facets to work as one.
Architects can design sustainable buildings, but how do we ensure that residents understand how to use those features effectively? City planners can draft low-carbon mobility plans, but how do we encourage people to choose public transport over private cars?
Communicating Concerns
Sustainability becomes real when it meets people where they are, rather than being an abstract concept dictated from above.
For too long, sustainability has been packaged in complex jargon and high-level strategies, leaving many people feeling disconnected from the conversation. Whether we’re engaging policymakers, businesses, or communities, the same pattern emerges: people care about sustainability, but they often feel it’s too technical, too expensive, or too abstract to get involved.
Through my work in climate science, policy, and communications, I’ve seen firsthand how critical it is to break down these barriers.
If we want meaningful climate action, we need to change how we engage people. That means shifting away from fear-based messaging, guilt tripping individuals, organisations and even administrative or political leaders, and towards practical, engaging, and rewarding solutions. It means making sustainability feel like second nature, not a burden.
Because the reality is that small, everyday actions can create a significant impact when amplified collectively. Making sustainable choices shouldn’t feel like a sacrifice—it should feel like common sense, or the most natural thing to do.
That’s where creative storytelling and relatable science come in.
Value of Initiatives Like All Bits Count
All Bits Count was born from the idea that sustainability should be fun, digestible, and practical.
Instead of just pointing out problems, we focus on solutions—how people can act in ways that fit seamlessly into their lives. We use visual storytelling, science-backed insights, and humour to cut through the noise and show that every action truly counts, no matter how small.
We’re already seeing an impact: from busting sustainability myths on social media, and helping organisations craft effective climate narratives, or shifting how people engage with climate action in their daily lives.
For instance, our collaboration with Change.org back in 2018-19 when All Bits Count was just a storytelling framework – not a creative consultancy – tackled deep-seated myths and taboos surrounding sanitation. By framing sanitation as a human rights issue, we mobilised over 200,000 people globally through an online petition in just three months. Through calm yet persistent petitioning, storytelling, and multiple iterations, we saw real policy shifts at both state and national levels—demonstrating how digital advocacy can drive systemic change.
With the City of Amsterdam, we’ve worked on something often overlooked in urban sustainability—soil and soil biodiversity. Healthy soils are the foundation of resilient cities, yet they rarely feature in mainstream planning, design, and management discussions. Our work focused on how to integrate soil health into urban decision-making, ensuring that cities don’t just build green spaces, but also support the living ecosystems beneath them. By advocating for nature-based solutions, we highlighted how soil biodiversity can boost urban resilience, enhance climate adaptation, and improve overall environmental quality.
Storytelling Shaping Professional Knowledge
Beyond research and advocacy, we’ve been shaping conversations through knowledge workshops at New York Climate Week. These sessions brought together city planners, architects, and policymakers to discuss innovative ways to embed sustainability into urban infrastructure. One key focus was the use of underground spaces for climate adaptation and energy-efficient design, an area we’ve actively worked on through collaborations with the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and ITACUS. Our published work explores how underground data centres in Helsinki, Finland, and Flums, Switzerland, are setting new standards for energy efficiency, cooling solutions, and urban integration.
Underground data centre and farming in Hagerbach Test Gallery, situated in Flums, Switzerland. Image credits: Mahak Agrawal
This theme also carried into our recent engagement at Placemaking India, where we explored the role of underground spaces in climate adaptation and placemaking in the dark. From metro stations to underground parks, the discussion highlighted how cities can rethink subterranean spaces not just as infrastructure, but as vibrant, climate-resilient, and community-centric environments.
Storytelling Speaks to Everyone
On social media, we’ve sparked conversations that resonate. One of our most engaging posts posed a bold question: “Tech will either save the planet or make things worse — there’s no middle ground.” The post ignited intense discussions, with people weighing in on whether technological innovation is the ultimate climate solution or a distraction from the deeper behavioural and systemic shifts needed.
Beyond digital engagement, we’ve seen real-world shifts. A small business we worked with revamped its sustainability messaging to focus on practical, everyday benefits—resulting in increased customer engagement and loyalty.
What’s clear from these examples is that people don’t need to be scientists or activists to contribute to a more sustainable world. They just need relatable, actionable insights that fit into their lives—one small step at a time.
Placemaking India festival in Bengaluru, early 2025. Image credits: Mahak Agrawal
Making Climate Communication Relatable
One of the biggest hurdles in sustainability advocacy is that people often feel alienated by technical terms or doom-laden messaging. This is especially true in the urban planning and architecture sectors, where sustainability is frequently discussed in terms of policy frameworks, carbon accounting, and compliance rather than as a way to make cities more liveable and enjoyable.
At All Bits Count, we create narratives that make sustainability not just understandable but aspirational. By using a mix of science and humour, we take dense climate data and turn it into engaging, bite-sized insights.
For instance, instead of saying, “Urban green spaces reduce the urban heat island effect,” we say, “More trees in your neighbourhood means your summer walks feel like a cool retreat rather than an oven blast. Also, free oxygen!”
Beyond One Initiative: The Need for Many
While All Bits Count is one step in making sustainability more relatable, we need many more creative and inclusive initiatives that meet people where they are.
Sustainability shouldn’t be an exclusive conversation; it should be woven into culture, business, and everyday decisions in a way that feels empowering.
Take Copenhagen’s cycling culture. It didn’t happen overnight—it was a mix of policy, infrastructure, and, crucially, a cultural shift that made cycling the preferred choice. Imagine if we could apply the same model to cities struggling with air pollution and traffic congestion.
Or consider South Korea’s recycling model, where waste separation is ingrained into daily life through intuitive design and policy incentives. What if countries where waste management is still a challenge adopted that approach, making sustainability an easier choice rather than an added burden?
That’s why I believe in the power of interdisciplinary collaboration—bringing together artists, scientists, communicators, and entrepreneurs to reimagine how we talk about and act on climate solutions. Because when sustainability is accessible, it’s unstoppable.
Integration of cycling culture in the urban fabric of Copenhagen. Image credits: Mahak Agrawal
Urban Sustainability as a Shared Responsibility
Sustainability in cities isn’t just the responsibility of policymakers or large firms. Architects, urban planners, and designers shape how we experience sustainability daily. However, the gap between policy recommendations and real-world implementation is often vast.
Small design interventions—like ensuring sidewalks are shaded, integrating mixed-use developments to reduce commute times, or prioritising pedestrian-friendly neighbourhoods—have enormous impacts when aggregated at scale.
This is why initiatives like All Bits Count are crucial—not to replace large-scale policy interventions, but to bridge the gap between high-level strategies and ground-level actions. By making sustainability personal and localised, we enable individuals, organisations, cities, and communities to see their role in the bigger picture.
The answers lie in better storytelling, better communication, and a collective shift in mindset—precisely what creative initiatives like ABC aim to achieve.
The Future of Sustainable Cities and Everyday Actions
The movement towards a more sustainable world is a collective effort, and we need voices from all disciplines to shape the future. Whether you are an architect, city planner, urban designer, or simply someone passionate about sustainability, there’s a role for you to play.
Together, let’s challenge the narrative that sustainability is complicated, expensive, or out of reach. Instead, let’s make it fun, practical, and part of the fabric of our cities.
Looking ahead, All Bits Count envisions a world where sustainability isn’t an afterthought but a natural part of how we design, build, and live in cities. This means:
- Encouraging affordable retrofitting of old buildings for energy efficiency rather than focusing solely on new green buildings.
- Making public transport intuitive and desirable so people choose it not just for sustainability but because it’s the most convenient option.
- Designing public spaces that invite biodiversity rather than isolating nature in designated “green zones”.
- Using behavioural nudges—such as default settings for energy savings, gamified recycling programmes, or incentives for sustainable shopping choices—to make eco-friendly behaviours effortless.
At ABC, we are committed to making these ideas mainstream—not just through policies but by shifting everyday mindsets. Because at the end of the day, sustainability succeeds when people feel empowered, not obligated, to act.
Mainstreaming sustainable practices, like Copenhagen’s bicycle culture and Flums’ underground farming requires a delicate mix of infrastructure and behaviour change achieved through effective communication. Image credits: Mahak Agrawal
Join the Conversation
To keep this needle moving, ABC is currently seeking partners and funders to scale up our work to improve conversations around sustainability, including a:
- Storytelling toolkit for businesses to integrate sustainability seamlessly into their branding.
- Visual campaign breaking down the science behind climate myths in an engaging, shareable format.
- Collaborative project with urban designers to highlight easy, affordable interventions that can make cities more liveable.
One bit at a time, we can make all the difference.